Great news, Mac users - ZED is now available for Mac!
ZED is a unique and compelling narrative experience on Desktop PC or VR. Journey through surreal landscapes spanning one man’s life and career, as you learn about his desperate quest to reconnect fading memories and create a final work for a special person. Poignant, touching and impactful, ZED lingers with you long after you finish the story.
A message from Chuck Carter:
I'd like to announce the Mac version of ZED. Being a very long-time user of Apple computers (1985), I wanted to say that this version is very special to me. In fact a lot of ZED was modeled on my Mac Pro and built in part with Unreal Macintosh. Being able to let our Mac audience play the game on their Apple computers was one of the things I felt was very important during the development of the game. So I hope you enjoy it, and if you like it - please leave us a review. (but only if you like it! ;0) ). Thank you for playing ZED and for playing it on your Macs!
Please make note of the ZED Mac OS X specs below:
MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Sierra 10.12.4
Processor: Core i5 or higher
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, Iris 5000 & 6000 family w/1 GB VRAM or better. Most Macs from 2012 on.
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: MacOS 10.12.4 (or later) is required to play ZED. Any MacOS versions prior to this may result in random crashes.
RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Sierra 10.12.4
Processor: Core i5 or higher
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GT 600M, 700M family / AMD R9 M family or better
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: MacOS 10.12.4 (or later) is required to play ZED. Any MacOS versions prior to this may result in random crashes.
Update 1.3.0 is Now Live!
Hello Everyone,
We have pushed out another small update today with various fixes and improvements to help improve the ZED experience.
Thanks again to all of our players for the feedback and support!
-The ZED Team
Fixes and Improvements:
Added inverted look option
Fix for the End of the Line Achievement
Performance optimizations in the Neighborhood
Multiple updates to the end credits
Minor art improvements in Sewer
Minor art improvements in Cave Tunnel
Minor art improvements in Memory Hall
Root Cellar light switch fix
Fixed collision issues in late game areas
Update 1.2.0 Now Live!
This minor update fixes a few graphic related issues that were introduced when VR improvements were made for the last update.
Thank you again for your feedback everyone!
The ZED Team
Fixes and improvements:
Fixed misbehaving decals
Lighting issues in affected levels fixed
Kid House lighting fixed
Sewer lighting fixed
Fragment highlight modified
VR: Improved graphics in Alice Hall
VR: Fragment sticking to hand when journal is open fixed
Known issues:
End of credits roll is still a bit abrupt
Light switch in Root Cellar does not work
VR: Pushing fragment objects directly into the players own face may trigger the "You are in wall" warning
VR: Occasionally game loses focus when at the main menu using the Oculus Rift. Can alt+tab back to the game.
Update 1.1.0 Live Now!
Thank you everyone for your ZED feedback!
We’re so excited to get ZED into your hands, but we also want you to know that we’re very busy fixing issues that remain.
So, here is an update! This update addresses and cleans up many of the VR issues that some of you were experiencing, along with some other known issues and minor fixes.
We’ve run this update through testing and we’re really happy with the VR improvements, but we’ve also noticed a few graphic issues that popped up. Rather than delay this much needed update for VR players, we decided to address these graphics issues in the next update (which is coming very soon!).
Free Movement? Yes! We absolutely know that you want it. There were some early decisions made to release the game without it. But it’s coming! Beyond that, we read all your feedback and requests, are we’re reviewing many of them (including other menu options) for inclusion in a future update.
Oh… and one more thing… shhhh... (a bit of a spoiler) -- the game starting out in Chapter 6 is a design decision, not a bug. ;)
Enjoy the improvements in this update. Please continue to send any feedback (bugs or suggestions). We are listening!
The ZED Team
Fixes and improvements:
Subtitles off by default
Achievements have been fixed
Adjustment to Credits end timing
Splash screen copyright date updated
Stuffy interaction symbol fixed
Misbehaving stuffies fixed
Charlotte end stuffy fixed
Pumpkin Playground voice over trigger fixed
Fixed misbehaving textures (e.g.napkin texture)
Fixed sewer puzzle
Fixed Charlotte end exterior graphics
VR fixes and improvements:
Teleport rotation is fixed
Fixed VR selection for Steam / Vive: Selecting VR mode in Steam will launch the game in VR, otherwise it will show the selection menu if 2D mode is chosen
VR selection skipped if no headset connected
If the headset is tracked the game will load into VR, otherwise the VR selection screen will be shown
Overall performance improvements: Adjustments and changes made to rendering, lighting, graphics settings and shadows
Some known issues (fixes coming soon):
Due to a new rendering method, some decals may not display in level
VR: Pushing fragment objects directly into the players own face may trigger the "You are in wall" warning
In VR, if you open the journal while holding a fragment, the fragment will remain stuck to your hand (a temporary workaround is to restart the level)
Lighting issues in some levels
Sometimes when you launch the game in VR the Oculus Home will re-open after the game has launched. Alt-tabbing back into the game fixes this.
Welcome to ZED!
Thank you for joining us.We are excited to finally release ZED to the public. We’ve worked hard crafting what we believe is a unique and meaningful experience that we hope you’ll enjoy. If you have questions for us, please post in the Discussion area.
Thank you,
- Chuck Carter and the ZED Team
ZED Release Notes:
Known issues:
The following issues will be addressed in an update that is planned shortly after release. To report an issue with the game, please submit a report at http://support.cyanworlds.com/ or write directly to support@cyan.com. We appreciate your feedback!
Game related:
Unable to open the menu in the memory hall levels
Depth of Field/post process setting abruptly ends in most of the elevator levels
Finale: Exterior graphics for the level are missing
[VR] Settings: Some quality settings carry over from 2D to VR, but you can't change them in VR
[VR] Teleportation node does not always accurately place player in the direction it is pointing
Steam related:
[PC] Steam Cloud Save may save a higher resolution that your monitor supports, causing your mouse area to be smaller than your screen
"Launch ZED in Steam VR Mode" launch option will launch the game in 2D unless the player is already wearing the headset
“Lifelong Friends” achievement on Steam does not work
June 4, 2019 Launch Date for ZED Announced!
Cyan Ventures, the publishing arm of Cyan Inc., the legendary indie studio that created best-selling classics, Myst and Riven, today announced that ZED will be released on June 4th, 2019 for PC, Rift and VIVE. Mac and Linux versions will be released later in June.
“It’s exciting to release ZED as the first, in what we hope is, a series of artisan indie titles.'' said Rand Miller, CEO of Cyan. “Cyan Ventures was created to connect our amazingly supportive Myst fan base to inspiring artists like Chuck at Eagre Games. We hope that ZED, with its graphically mesmerizing narrative, will resonate with our fans and audiences worldwide.”
“I am thrilled to be working with Cyan Ventures” said Chuck Carter, founder of Eagre Games. “It is awesome to be working with a publisher as vested in the visual fidelity and compelling story as us. They believed in our vision and helped us move ZED across the finish line, from its Kickstarter inception to a deeply moving story of an unexamined life.”
ZED is the story of an artist suffering from dementia -- desperately trying to reconnect fragmented memories. The player explores the dreams of the artist’s crumbling mind in hopes of helping him assemble enough meaningful images to leave behind a loving memento and final legacy for his granddaughter. The experience blends adventure, a rich narrative, stirring sentiment, and fanciful world exploration.
ZED is the vision of Chuck Carter, developed in association with Skymap Games and co-written by Joe Fielder (Bioshock Infinite, The Flame and the Flood) and David Chen (Metal Gear Solid series, Narcosis). The game features compelling voice over work from an outstanding cast, including a riveting performance from veteran voice actor Stephen Russell (the Thief, Skyrim and Fallout series).
ZED is scheduled for release June 4th, 2019 and will be available on Steam as well as other digital services.
Award-winning Myst creator Cyan releases trailer under their new publishing arm, Cyan Ventures, for ZED a new PC / VR game by indie developer Eagre Games.
“This game is very personal to me.” said Chuck Carter, founder of Eagre Games. “I had a dear friend and mentor pass a few years back. He suffered from dementia in those final years and my visits to him became the inspiration for ZED. This is not his story, but a broader cautionary tale of not waiting till the end to examine your life.”
“ZED is just the type of game Cyan Ventures wants to publish, said Rand Miller, CEO, Cyan.
“We formed Cyan Ventures because we believe that now is the time to experiment and explore the new possibilities in VR storytelling. Chuck’s very emotional exploration of an artist’s struggle to examine the meaning of his life through the fog of dementia is a provocative approach to narrative gameplay. We’re very excited to have a part in bringing ZED’s moving and inventive narrative to VR and PC.”
ZED is the story of an artist suffering from dementia -- desperately trying to reconnect fragmented memories. The player explores the dreams of the artist’s crumbling mind in hopes of helping him assemble enough meaningful images to leave behind a loving memento and final legacy for his granddaughter. The experience blends adventure, a rich narrative, stirring sentiment, and fanciful world exploration.
ZED is the vision of Chuck Carter, developed in association with Skymap Games and co-written by Joe Fielder (Bioshock Infinite, The Flame and the Flood) and David Chen (Metal Gear Solid series, Narcosis). The game features compelling voice over work from an outstanding cast, including a riveting performance from veteran voice actor Stephen Russell (the Thief, Skyrim and Fallout series).
ZED is scheduled for release spring of 2019 and will be available for PC, Rift and Vive.
